3 Physical Activities To Take Care Of The Brain

We all know that physical activity is good for the brain. Sport oxygenates, stimulates circulation and all this is of great help to the brain. It increases and sharpens intellectual functions and perception, but it does not end there: it also inhibits the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, regulating emotions.

Another benefit of physical activity for the brain is that it guarantees a state of well-being and happiness. At some point, in fact, sport stimulates the production of serotonin. This chemical change allows you to experience great emotional well-being.

In the United States, some researchers have conducted interesting studies on the subject. The goal was to find out what the benefits of walking, dancing and stretching were. Scholars wondered which of these three activities had the most positive effects. To do this, they involved a group of volunteers to carry out an experiment. Read on to learn the modalities and results of the study.

The experiment on the relationship between physical activity and the brain

First, the scholars formed a group of 174 volunteers. They were all over 60 and some were over 70. At this age, there is a degeneration of the white matter of the brain. The effects of this condition are varied, such as memory difficulties and impaired cognitive functions in general.

The volunteers generally had a sedentary lifestyle. Most of them did not do any kind of physical activity. Those who, on the other hand, devoted themselves to sport, did so sporadically and for a short time. They were therefore an ideal group to test for changes in physical activity on the brain.

At first the volunteers underwent an aerobic test. Then they carried out some tests to determine their cognitive abilities and the processing speed of the data received in the laboratory. The tests established the starting point before starting the experiment.

Physical activities in comparison

The volunteer group was divided into three subgroups. No model was followed, the subdivision was random. The first of these groups began with a walking program. Participants had to take brisk walks for one hour three times a week.

The second group had to stretch. It involved doing muscle stretching exercises three times a week. In addition, they had to perform supervised exercises of balance and other minor skills.

The third group went to dance classes three times a week. They didn’t just have to dance, but also to learn a choreography that became more and more complex as time passed. The dance style chosen was not at all simple: country.

The results of the experiment

The experiment lasted six consecutive months for all three groups. After six months, several tomographies and MRI scans were done to check what changes had affected the brain. Some of the results met expectations, but others turned out to be truly surprising.

At the beginning of the program, the white matter of the brain was more deteriorated in people who led a more sedentary life. Then, in all the participants there was an improvement. All improved in the results of the cognitive and memory tests they underwent after the experiment.

The most surprising data concerned the results of the third group, that is, the one that had engaged in learning a complex dance choreography. All the indices were higher than those of the other participants. Experts believe that dancing is a physical activity, but also a mental, social and playful one. Consequently it is more complete. In fact, an increase in brain white matter density was observed in many participants.

Agnieszka Burzynska, one of the research leaders, revealed that a similar study had been conducted in 2014. On that occasion it was possible to verify that the longer a person remained seated, the more his brain deteriorated, even if at the end of the day he devoted himself to physical activity. The most important conclusion these scholars have reached, therefore, is that a sedentary lifestyle compromises the health and functionality of the brain. Physical activity reactivates it, and dancing or dancing is much more effective than other types of exercise.